Emmanuel Thomas, Lagos
November 17, 2015 – Lagos state government has opted to react with a strong hand to the wind of terrorism sweeping across Nigeria and in the international community following perception that terrorists activities are propelled by hate messages preached from the pulpit.
To this end, the Lagos State Government has said that it will henceforth clampdown on hate preachers, stressing that it will no longer tolerate religious intolerance.
Governor Akinwunmi Ambode made the disclosure today during a meeting with members of the Nigeria inter-Religious Council (NIREC), held at the State Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja.
He explained that from next year, government will begin an inter-fate religious conferences where all religious bodies in the state, irrespective of their denomination, will participate in seminars to be coordinated by NIREC.
Speaking in behalf of the governor, Commissioner for Home Affairs, Dr. Abdulhakeem Abdullateef, explained that the government will stop any religious leader that preaches hate messages capable of endangering people’s freedom. “Henceforth, we’ll start to monitor mosques and churches and ensure that clerics do not engage in hate preaching.”
He said the government has embarked on enumeration of Mosques and Churches in the state noting that there must be identification of Mosques and Churches.
“If a mosque and church is not captured in our list, it means such is not recognised by the government. We would give each and everyone of them an identification number,” he said.
On the request for creation of NIREC at the local government level as requested by the state chapter, he said the government will make effort to establish the body at the grassroots noting that such will assist in propagating the need for peaceful co-existence between people of both religion.
In his remarks at the meeting, the co-chairman of NIREC in Lagos, Dr. Saheed Timeyin urged the state government to include Peace Education in school for primary and secondary school in the state for younger ones to imbibe religious tolerance as a way of life. “We need to block our children from extremists tendencies from school,” he said.
